Kit Review

Straight build + Panel lining + Decals

The universal yardstick — size comparison with a cigarette pack.

Removing the outer armor... only works on the legs;

The movable frame is only reproduced in the legs.

The detail is pretty good.

Behind the knees and ankles, mesh pipes are used to recreate the power lines.

Mesh pipes on the backpack too.

On the front of the ankles, there are cylinders that can each move independently, two per side.

The cylinder movement when the ankle is moved sideways.

MG Gundam Mk-II - Oddly enough... there's no frame inside the backpack, but the inner surface of the backpack has some pretty

Oddly enough... there's no frame inside the backpack, but the inner surface of the backpack has some pretty decent molding;

Looks like all the weapons Mk-II needs are included.

The usual three-hand set — rock-paper-scissors poseable hand, fist, and open hand.

The Mk-II's signature vulcan pod is also reproduced. The antenna section moves.

The beam rifle magazine is removable, and the scope and grip section can move.

MG Gundam Mk-II - True to the specs, two extra magazines — the same type that attach to the actual beam rifle — can be stored

True to the specs, two extra magazines — the same type that attach to the actual beam rifle — can be stored on top of the shield.

The shield can fold and unfold.

MG Gundam Mk-II - Cockpit hatch open. The middle one of the three chest ducts is made as a separate part, giving it a bit mor

Cockpit hatch open.
The middle one of the three chest ducts is made as a separate part, giving it a bit more depth,
but it's fixed and doesn't move. Would've been nice if they made it movable, don't you think?

You can see the cockpit interior deep inside.

MG Gundam Mk-II - Two types of head antenna are included — a regular soft-material one (left) and a plastic one for painters

Two types of head antenna are included — a regular soft-material one (left) and a plastic one for painters (right).

That part... the beam saber holder on the backpack is loose and keeps flopping forward. -_-;

The vulcan pod attached to the head.
It doesn't clip on securely and keeps falling off. Bleh.

The beam rifle can be holstered on the right side armor...

And spare bazooka magazines can be stored on the left side.

The bazooka is stored on the rear.

The arms fold completely, but the leg articulation isn't great...

Action pose~

Bazooka action.

It's a bit hard to hold the bazooka properly;

Arm articulation is good, so the beam saber drawing pose comes out really natural~ly.

Beam saber action.

Bonus glamour shot!

Together with MG RX-78 v1.0 and Zeta Gundam. In-universe, it's the middle height.
View larger image

A group shot with the PG and HGUC

Back in the 80s, before Zeta, this was the very machine that set Gunpla fans' hearts on fire with excitement — the Gundam Mk.II (a.k.a. Mk-II). For its time, it had a really sleek style, articulation that was incomparably more advanced than the old 1/100 First kit, and the idea of individually moving fingers was genuinely shocking. Even if it was a copy.

Anyway, the Mk-II — a kit that lives in the hearts of longtime Gunpla fans alongside Zeta — has gotten the MG treatment. It came out a bit later than Zeta, but it was still the 14th release, fairly early in the MG lineup. And just like Zeta, its popularity actually became a curse — it was released so early that it ended up being one of those kits that got left behind.

When the MG Mk-II first came out, the reception wasn't as wild as it was for Zeta. It was clearly good... not bad... but there was this vague emptiness, like it wasn't anything particularly special. Were expectations just too high? Even by the standards of the time, it wasn't a jaw-dropping kit — a lot of people's reaction was basically just "oh, so Mk-II got an MG too." The general consensus was that the original design was already great, and the kit was built around it in a solid, no-frills way.

First, the proportions — which became a point of contention. A lot of people said it looked gorilla-like, but honestly the old kit was even more gorilla-ish when you think about it. That's more of an issue tied to the original design concept... Opinions are split on whether the slimmer legs are a good or bad thing, but the ankles being designed too high is something that gets pointed out as a complaint pretty often. The raised ankles look precarious, almost like it's wearing high heels, and on top of that, they have a serious durability problem.

It definitely feels more refined than the old 1/100 kit, and when you first build it, it feels pretty fresh — but the longer you look at it, the less satisfied you feel with the proportions somehow. Probably because the PG and HGUC Mk-II that came out later have such great proportions by comparison. In particular, the HGUC and PG fixed the high-heel issue, making the feet look much more grounded and stable.

The biggest practical problem with the Mk-II is the joints — they're not exactly floppy like an octopus, but there's a bit of play in each joint, and the whole kit ends up feeling wobbly overall. The shoulders and ankles are especially bad, and combined with the high-heel feet and the front-back split foot parts that don't hold together well, it's a nerve-wracking kit to just leave standing. Lose the balance even slightly and it topples over front or back;; It's tall and unstable.

Being an early MG, the hand grip is also weak, so it has trouble holding weapons — and on top of that, the wrist connection is loose so the hands pop off easily, making it doubly frustrating. Holding weapons in place is a real struggle in every way. (This gets even worse with the Super Gundam later;) And since the shoulder joints are weak, whenever you try to raise the arms, the shoulders just keep drooping. All these fiddly joints make it hard to get a decent pose out of it, which probably doesn't help the proportions look their best either. It's actually one of the harder kits to photograph action poses for during reviews.

Arm articulation is quite good, so poses like drawing the beam saber from the backpack come out pretty convincingly... but the leg range of motion is limited, so you can't really pull off any dynamic action poses. And as mentioned above, the joint strength is just so-so, which makes it even harder; Either way, in terms of structure — joints, articulation, proportions — this is a kit that's hard to give high marks to.

On the weapons side, all the gear Mk-II should have — including the vulcan pod — is faithfully included. The parts breakdown is reasonably well done, and while it's a shame the internal frame is only reproduced in the legs, the detail is satisfying enough. It seems like the high-heel design was done to show off the leg movable frame, and it does have the effect of naturally exposing the frame. Also, seam lines are hidden as much as possible, except for parts like the forearms and head.

Overall, it feels like I've listed more complaints than praise... but that's probably because, alongside Zeta, this is a machine that Gunpla fans had really high expectations for. That said, since it's not quite as popular as Zeta, the complaints haven't been quite as loud. Still, there are plenty of people hoping for a version-up of the Mk-II just as much as Zeta. Especially since the HGUC Mk-II came out so clean and well-done, which makes the MG feel even more lacking by comparison. Give us an MG like that too, Bandai!

But... it's not something you're totally in love with, yet it's hard to really tear into it either — it's that kind of awkward kit. So compared to Zeta, the calls for a version-up are quieter, and honestly it feels like the chances of one actually happening are much lower. -_-;;

If you just set it down and look at it quietly, it's a decent enough kit... but the moment you start handling it, you start getting a little disappointed — that's the MG Mk-II. Like Zeta, it's a kit that Gunpla fans have a love-hate relationship with. If they ever do a version-up of Zeta, it'd be great if they quietly slipped Mk-II in alongside it!

MG RX-178 Gundam Mk-II
Category	Rating	Analysis
Seam Lines	★★★★☆	Seam lines are mostly hidden through panel lines and parts breakdown.
Molding Color / Color Separation	★★★★☆	Color separation is nearly perfect. The gray molded color feels a bit old-school though...
Proportions	★★★	A gorilla in high heels. Plenty of room for debate, and the reception isn't great.
Articulation	★★★	Arms are quite good, but legs not so much. Can't get much out of the poses.
Joint Strength	★★☆	Overall wobbly feel. Weak grip. Weak ankles. Wrists that pop off easily.
Internal Frame	★★	Movable frame only in the legs. The limitations of an early MG.
Detail	★★★★☆	Nothing majorly wrong with it, but it doesn't feel completely polished either.
Weapons / Accessories	★★★★★	Everything Mk-II needs is included.
Parts Count / Price	★★★★★	309 parts total. Parts per ¥1,000: 110.4. That's about ¥3,000-class value.
Uniqueness	★★★★	A nostalgic machine alongside Zeta... but there's this vague emptiness to it somehow.
Dalong's Point : 76 pts.

MG Gundam Mk-II | 1998. 7 | ¥2,800

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.